Crossing The Line
by Snufflebottoms
Summary: It was a choice. A way of life. And it was wrong, in the best possible way. What happened when the Titans left Terra to defeat Slade as she promised?Does Terra betray the Titans again? It's not quite that simple. Read to find out.


I'm going to try something a little bit darker . . .

This story is set after the Titans leave Terra to destory Slade. Please don't remind me that I don't own the Teen Titans.

Enjoy, and please review. Criticism welcomed and encouraged!

This is a oneshot . . . but I might continue it if there are requests.

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It was the world against them. This distinction had been made long ago, and there was no going back. It was a choice. A way of life. And it was wrong, in the best possible way. Terra was Slade's apprentice. And though she resembled a normal teenager, she was anything but. Slade was a ruthless, heartless criminal. He was smart and quick and the biggest threat to a happy civilization. And she learned everything she knew from him. The line was clear. There was good and there was evil. The side they stood on was plain as day.

Or at least it was. As the Titans escaped from Slade's hold, Terra moved to face her master. She had to defeat him. She began hurling rocks in his direction, missing him each time. Had Terra changed? Was she really good? She called a formation of rocks to her body, protecting her as she moved toward her master. Slade moved in to hit Terra, when she sprung up behind him. The rocks were merely a distraction. They remained, holding her form in an uncanny likeness, her arms outstretched, ready to battle. She turned to run from him; Terra couldn't bring herself to kill her master. It wasn't in her. But Slade caught her. The fight was inevitable.

Inside the warehouse, it was dark and cold. Everything was in order; it was even clean despite battle. It was perfect. Slade accepted nothing less. There, he had trained Terra to aid him in causing chaos and bringing destruction. "Do it right this time," he said calmly. It was a simple enough command, to be perfect. Yet it was so hard to carry out. Terra turned to face Slade, confusion running through her. _I must fight him. _She thought to herself. The rocks lifted once more into the air. They flew, soaring through the room. Engulfed in yellow, the large masses danced. The girl's hair flew about her shoulders. She yelled in effort, moving the hunk through every obstacle Slade had given her, moving closer and closer to the sound of his voice. As it approached his face, it turned sharply right, crashing into the wall. Terra collapsed to the ground.

"I told you to do it right," Slade reminded her. He appeared in front of her in a flash. His voice remained calm. He jerked Terra up by the wrist. He threw her on the ground. Slowly, he walked to her. He grabbed her by the front of her uniform, allowing her to dangle from his grasp. "I told you to hit me," he raised his hand and slapped her across the face, "I have no problem doing it to you." She remained silent. Slade threw her against a pillar, knocking the breath out of her. She groaned. He smiled. Then he kicked her side, causing pain to run sharply up her side and tears to fall from her eyes. "Fight me," he said, "your life depends on it." He pulled her up, only to punch her in the stomach. She fell back down.

"I can't. . ." she whispered, crawling away.

"My dear Terra," Slade mocked, "You are a terrible liar." He backed her into the wall, punching her, kicking her, digging into her. Each blow hit harder than the one before. She gasped as she tried to free herself from his grasp. He continued to beat her until her blood covered his hands. His expression hidden behind his mask, he crouched down. Slade chuckled. There, Terra laid in heap of torn clothing, sweat and blood. She shook for a few moments, taking breaths in sharp gasps.

"You know, Terra, you are -" Terra rose, swiftly pulling off Slade's mask, scratching his face with the other hand. As he moved back, preparing to fight her, he was met with a sheet of rock. He had thrown himself against the rock in his attempt to back away. He inhaled sharply. Pain surged through his body. Terra lunged for him. Yellow surrounded her body, pulsating out her eyes. Slade's large hands grabbed the girl's wrists. She wiggled, squirmed and struggled to no avail. He had caught her.

"Let me go!" She yelled, coking blood down. Her body and face were covered with gashes. Terra shook uncontrollably as she tried to fight her master. Slade was now face to face with his apprentice, no mask to hide him. His platinum hair was plastered to his face from sweat. His eye focused on the girl's movements. The other half of his face was covered with a patch. His armor was soaked with blood, Terra's mostly. He moved forward, throwing her back against the wall. Fear filled her eyes, but her struggle did not lessen. All around the two of them, rocks flew wildly. Yellow auras covered them. The masses swirled about, creating a whirlwind. A smile crept on Slade's face. He continued to hold his apprentice to the wall. She was destroying the warehouse. She was putting them both at risk. She was being . . . dangerous. The yellow that shrouded them shone brightly. It looked so pure. _How looks can be so deceiving_ Slade thought. At that moment, Slade Wilson, master criminal, genius, the very being that threaten the existence of all civilization, fell in love. He pressed his lips to Terra's. Her knees weaken. As she fell to the ground, Slade wrapped his arms around the young girl's waist. He clutched her tightly to his chest as he jumped up. He ran, gracefully, from bolder to boulder. Just as the warehouse began to collapse, Slade emerged from the ashes. In his arms, he cradled Terra. He looked into her eyes, smiling, and delicately wiped the blood from her face. Taking in his surroundings, he saw the Titans run off in the distance. He took Terra as he ran off in the other direction.

And in that moment, the line that had been drawn in the minds of every citizen was crossed. The line between right and wrong. Between love and hate.

But the line had not really been crossed; it was completely removed.


End file.
